When a vehicle in which an output power of an internal combustion engine is transmitted to drive wheels via an automatic transmission and a torque converter having a lockup clutch performs coast running in which an accelerator pedal is not depressed, a known driving force control in which the lockup clutch is unlocked and a fuel supply to the internal combustion engine is prevented may be applied to suppress fuel consumption.
When a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine has decreased to a set value as a result of preventing fuel supply, fuel supply to the internal combustion engine is resumed. Herein, prevention of fuel supply to the internal combustion engine is so-called a “fuel-cut,” and resumption of fuel supply to the internal combustion engine is so-called a “fuel recovery” or simply a “recovery.”
JP 2006-015819 A, published by The Japan Patent Office in 2006, proposes to apply a regenerative braking when a fuel recovery operation is performed, thereby preventing a torque shock from being generated in a state where the lockup clutch is unlocked.